Create an account with Trustmark® and MetLife
Creating an account with Trustmark will enable you to:
- access your plan information
- print out a temporary member I.D card and request a new card to be mailed to you
- view your explanation of benefits (EOBs) every time you visit a provider
Visit www.mytrustmarkbenefits.com
Go to Register > Participant > Create Your Account
MetLife MyBenefits account provides you with a personalized, integrated, and secure view of your MetLife delivered benefits. You can take advantage of a number of self-service capabilities as well as a wealth of easy to access information.
- Visit www.Metlife.com/mybenefits
- Enter Employer Name: FAES
Find a doctor
To find an in-network Aetna provider for the lowest out-of-pocket cost, visit the Aetna Signature Administrators - Doc Find page.
Find lab services
There are 2 in-network labs with our insurance coverage, LabCorp or Quest Diagnostics. Please visit the links below to find a lab near you:
Services performed at a facility other than Quest Diagnostics and LabCorp will be considered “out-of-network” and will require higher out-of-pocket costs. If you are having lab work done at your physician’s office and your physician is in-network, then the lab work will be treated as in-network.
Find an urgent care facility
Recent data in the last few years shows that ERs are seeing 145.6 million patients per year, but about 4.3% are for non-urgent symptoms. Privately insured patients are unnecessarily visiting the ER 18 million times each year, adding $32 billion per year to national health care costs. It’s important to know your options ahead of time so you can make the right decision when you need to. If possible, we encourage members to utilize urgent care centers since they will save time and money. There are many locations and they often are open late and on weekends.
Finding an in-network urgent care facility near you is easy: just visit the AETNA-Doc Find page.
Generic vs. brand-name drugs
Generics work the same as brand-name drugs but cost much less.
The average cost of brand name drugs is 18.6 times higher than the generic equivalent. Generic drugs range from 80% - 85% lower in cost when compared to the brand product. From 2009-2019, the US healthcare system saved almost $2 trillion as a result of generic utilization. Please consult your doctor to determine if you might be able to utilize a generic drug versus a brand-name drug.
Insurance Plan Questions
Plan participants should tell medical providers the insurance is through Trustmark. Trustmark manages the confirmation of benefits, eligibility, and processing of claims. The Trustmark insurance plan uses the Aetna Signature Administrators network of providers. Please do not tell providers you have Aetna insurance as this will result in providers not being able to verify your benefits.
Excerpt from the NIH IRTA Policy:
All trainees must have adequate health insurance coverage to receive training in NIH facilities. This requirement may be satisfied by a policy held either in the Trainee's name or in another's name with the Trainee identified as a family member. Verification of health insurance enrollment is required. (https://policymanual.nih.gov/2300-320-7#710C5A2E)
Loss of coverage is a qualifying event to enroll in FAES Insurance. You must enroll in the FAES insurance plan within 30 days from the loss of coverage date. If you experience a qualifying event to enroll in, or change coverage, FAES must receive the following within 30 days of the date of your qualifying event.
- For Enrollment after Loss of Insurance Coverage:
- FAES Election Form
- Fellowship Activation Forms (pages 1, 2, and 3)
- The "Effective Date of Change" on page 2 should be the day after the loss of coverage date
- Pages 1 and 3 of the Fellowship Activation Forms must be signed by the fellow
- Page 1 must also be signed by the PI or Fellowship Sponsor
- Proof of loss of coverage (letter from the non-FAES insurance stating coverage, name of insured, and coverage termination date)
- If you are also enrolling a spouse and/or dependents, FAES must also receive:
- Marriage Certificate for spouse and/or Birth Certificates for all child dependents (in English)
- If dependents do not have a social security number, FAES will need a copy of their passports with the stamped date of arrival in U.S. or I-94 form (dependents must be in the U.S.)
- Marriage Certificate for spouse and/or Birth Certificates for all child dependents (in English)
- For Enrollment of a Spouse or Dependent following Loss of Insurance Coverage:
- FAES Change Form
- Marriage Certificate for spouse and/or Birth Certificate for all dependent children (in English)
- If enrollment of a spouse or dependents will change your insurance coverage from an individual to family coverage, you must also provide FAES with updated Fellowship Activation Forms.
- The "Effective Date of Change" on page 2 should be the day after the loss of coverage date
- Pages 1 and 3 of the Fellowship Activation Forms must be signed by the fellow
- Page 1 must also be signed by the PI or Fellowship Sponsor
- Proof of Loss of Coverage (letter from your spouse or dependents' insurance plan stating the coverage, names of insured, and coverage termination date)
If you have a qualifying event to change coverage, we will need the following within 30 days of the qualifying event date:
- Newborn:
- FAES Change Form
- Proof of live birth letter or discharge paperwork stating the date of birth of the child
- Birth Certificate and Social Security Number can be provided later since they may take over 30 days to obtain.
- If this changes the fellow’s coverage from individual to family coverage, we need update fellowship activation forms.
- Fellowship activation forms: page 1, 2 and 3
- The effective date of change should be the date of birth of newborn on page 2
- Page 1 and 3 signed by fellow
- Page 1 signed by PI/fellowship sponsor
- Fellowship activation forms: page 1, 2 and 3
If you have a qualifying event to change coverage, we will need the following within 30 days of the qualifying event date:
- Marriage:
- FAES Change Form
- Marriage Certificate
- If this changes the fellow’s coverage from individual to family coverage, we need update fellowship activation forms.
- Fellowship activation forms: page 1, 2 and 3
- The effective date of the change should be the date of the marriage on page 2
- Page 1 and 3 signed by fellow
- Fellowship activation forms: page 1, 2 and 3
New Hire Enrollments: We will need the following within 30 days of the new hire date.
- FAES Election Form
- Fellowship activation forms: page 1, 2 and 3
- Level of coverage selected on page 2
- Page 1 and 3 signed by fellow
- Page 1 signed by PI/fellowship sponsor
- If they are enrolling dependents (spouse or children)
- Proof of relationship: marriage certificate for spouse and birth certificate for children
- If the dependents do not have a social security number, we will need:
- Copy of their passport with stamped date of arrival (dependents must be in US)
- If the dependents do not have a social security number, we will need:
- Proof of relationship: marriage certificate for spouse and birth certificate for children
Your institute covers the monthly premium to FAES, this premium is not deducted from your stipend.
Please fill out a Trustmark Health Claim Form. The form has instructions on how to complete.
For information on a denied claim, you can contact Trustmark Customer Service, 888-270-2044. The FAES Insurance team is available to assist you with navigating the claims and appeals process.
Information on appeals can be found in the paperwork with your explanation of benefits (EOB) from Trustmark. Complete, detach, copy and send in the form provided on your EOB within one hundred eighty (180) calendar days from receipt of notification of the denial. Include the reasons you feel the claim should not have been denied along with any additional information and comments relevant to the claim. You are entitled to receive, upon request and free of charge, copies of all documents relevant to the denial. You will be notified of the decision within a reasonable period of time not later than 60 days after the plan receives your request for review.
Please see the Insurance Claims and Verification Info Sheet for more information.
For in-network providers:
- Review the bill and check if it notes any payment from the insurance carrier, Trustmark.
- If the bill does not contain insurance payment information, please contact the provider’s office and inform them of your insurance information located on the front of your ID card.
- Request your provider to submit the claim for processing to Trustmark.
- If you encounter issues or have questions during this process, please contact the FAES Insurance Department for additional assistance.
For out-of-network providers:
In most circumstances, out-of-network providers will not submit a claim on your behalf.
- Complete a Trustmark Health Claim Form with proof of payment and documentation.
- Submit the Form with supporting documents to Trustmark for processing via one of the following methods:
- EMAIL:
- HBEVClaimsubmission@trustmarkbenefits.com in the subject line write “FAES OON Claim Submission”
- PORTAL:
- Sign into your www.mytrustmarkbenefits.com account
- Click on the link for “Messages”
- Select “General Inquiry”
- In the Subject line type “OON Claim Submission”
- Attach claim/itemized statement/proof of payment
- MAIL TO:
- Trustmark Health Benefits
PO Box 2920
Clinton, IA 52733-2920
- Trustmark Health Benefits
- EMAIL:
- If you encounter issues or have questions during this process, please contact the FAES Insurance Department for additional assistance.
Please complete an Express Scripts (ESI) Claim Form.
There is no network to access your FAES medical and prescription drug plan outside of the US. If you
have a medical emergency and are outside of the US – here are your care options:
1. Utilizing your FAES medical and prescription drug coverage while outside of the US: You
are only covered in a true emergency situation. The FAES medical and prescription plan only
covers emergency care outside of the US. To help define what constitutes emergency care, please
see below:
An accidental injury, or the sudden onset of an illness where the acute symptoms are of
sufficient severity (including severe pain) so that a prudent layperson, who possesses an
average knowledge of health and medicine, could reasonably expect the absence of
immediate medical attention to result in:
- Placing the covered individual’s life (or with respect to a pregnant woman, the
- health of the woman or her unborn child) in serious jeopardy, or
- Causing other serious medical consequences, or
- Causing serious impairment to bodily functions, or
- Causing serious dysfunction of any bodily organ or part.
Please note that if you have an emergency and need to seek care, you will have to pay the
costs upfront out-of-pocket. You will then submit for reimbursement and will need to
provide supporting documentation. You are responsible for all out-of-network
deductibles, copays, and coinsurance. It is highly recommended before you leave the
facility to get all documentation with details surrounding procedures, treatments, codes,
and proof of payments.
2. While in the country of your home residence: You need to evaluate your access to care options
as a resident of your home country.
3. COVID Exposure, Symptoms, & Testing for Travel
- Emergency: If your COVID symptoms become severe enough to be defined as an emergency and meet the parameters listed above, please access emergency care.
- Local Care: To verify COVID care within your home country, please consult local COVID care guidelines and access to care.
- Expatriate Support: Subscribers can consult with the US Embassy or Consulate in the Country they are visiting to determine testing sites; If the person is a citizen of the Country they are visiting they can seek out local testing options for citizens.
- Travel Purposes: Your FAES medical and prescription drug plan does not cover testing for travel purposes.
Please provide FAES with the NIH Fellowship Activation Form to renew your health insurance. This can be obtained from your Administrative Officer. FAES requires pages 1, 2 and 3 of the 6 pages of the NIH Fellowship Activation Form. The form must be signed by your sponsor on page 1. The Fellow will need to sign page 1 and 3.
All Fellows must provide a Fellowship Termination Notification to FAES when leaving the NIH or transitioning to a full-time employment position (FTE) with NIH. The form may be faxed to 301-480-3585 or emailed to faesinsurance@mail.nih.gov.
Our continuation of coverage administrator, BRI will send follow-up information on how to continue health insurance coverage.
When any covered member loses health insurance coverage based on a termination of employment or the occurrence of other qualifying events, the member will be eligible to elect continuation of coverage. Once your termination of health insurance coverage is processed you will receive a continuation of coverage packet in the mail from our administrator, BRI. You will have 60 days to elect for continuation of coverage. Once elected, your coverage is retroactive to the date you lost coverage. There will be no lapse in coverage. Please contact a FAES insurance representative for additional information on pricing regarding continuation of coverage.
All covered plan participants will receive their own insurance card with their name listed.
Please check with a FAES insurance representative if a temporary card is available. Cards are mailed within 7-14 business days of the processing of your enrollment.
Plan documents are available upon request. Please contact a FAES insurance representative.
If you lost your member ID card, you can view a PDF on mytrustmarkbenefits.com or on the myTrustmarkBenefits phone app.
Please contact FAES Insurance via email or phone and we can assist with providing a PDF of your card.
Domestic partners are not eligible. Eligible dependents are spouse or dependent children. FAES requires proof of relationship for dependents. For a spouse, we require a marriage certificate. For dependent children, we require a birth certificate, legal adoption paperwork or legal dependent status documentation.
Subscribers covered under the plan can only terminate at Open Enrollment (usually in September) unless they have a qualifying event. A qualifying event to terminate insurance outside of Open Enrollment would be marriage or newly obtained coverage elsewhere. Fellows have 30 days to notify FAES of this qualifying event to terminate coverage. The renewal of your fellowship does not count as a qualifying event to terminate coverage.
Yes, FAES plan participants have dental and vision coverage through MetLife.
Our dental and vision plan is through MetLife. You can visit metlife.com and choose our plan (Dental PDP Plus and Vision PPO) to find an in-network provider.
No, you will not receive a separate MetLife Dental and Vision card. The MetLife Dental and Vision group number and contact information will be on the back of your Trustmark member ID card.
Yes, below is the in-network and out-of-network coverage. Please consult with your provider if they are capable of telemedicine visits.
In-network telemedicine visits:
- Primary Care Provider: $15 Copayment
- Specialist: $25 Copayment
Out-of-network telemedicine visits:
- Deductible then 30%
Talkspace
Talkspace is an online therapy service that connects users to a dedicated, licensed therapist in their state of residence via private messaging or live video. Users can regularly message their dedicated therapist via text, voice, or video as life happens - anywhere, anytime. Therapists engage daily, 5 days per week. Founded with the mission to eliminate the stigma associated with mental health and make therapy available to all, Talkspace has a network of thousands of credentialed clinicians and has been used by more than one million people. Talkspace should not be considered for meeting requirements for employment, school enrollment, disability, or legal documentation.
Yes. On the Talkspace platform, privacy and safety are always the first consideration. Talkspace deploys a variety of techniques to ensure that you and your data are always kept safe and confidential, and Talkspace’s technology is fully compliant with the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA). All data is encrypted on the servers, and all communication between our software and the servers is encrypted. The Talkspace app requires you to enter your password and allows you to create a unique passcode for extra security. If you have a device that supports fingerprint authentication, Talkspace also has a feature that recognizes your fingerprint.
Yes. Talkspace will not share your information with your organization. In order to protect confidentiality according to HIPAA, Talkspace require all users to create a unique nickname during the registration process, which is only shared with their therapists. You can determine whether you want your therapist to call you by your first name or nickname during therapy. While Talkspace will not share your information with your organization, they do require every user to submit emergency contact information, which is only accessed according to safety and reporting mandates.
Talkspace Therapy is available to Foundation for Advanced Education in the Sciences plan participants and their dependents, ages 13+, and Talkspace Psychiatry is available for ages 18+. The platform requires users to indicate their age and will provide an automated message and alternative resources if the user is ineligible. Talkspace should not be considered for meeting requirements for employment, school enrollment, disability, or legal documentation.
Yes. With a Talkspace self-pay plan, you can continue your relationship with your therapist after your benefit ends. Please contact partners-support@talkspace.com to learn more about our subscription plans, discounts and financial aid.
No. In order to access Talkspace, you must complete registration at talkspace.com/FAES. After completing registration and creating an account, you can download and use the Talkspace app for ongoing therapy engagement.
Register anytime. There is no open enrollment period for Talkspace. Sign up whenever you need support. When you are ready, visit talkspace.com/FAES.
- To register for therapy: Simply click “Get Started” and enter “FAES” when prompted for your organization name.
- To register for psychiatry: Select the “sign up for psychiatry here” link on talkspace.com/FAES, and when prompted for a keyword, enter “FAESpsych.”
Therapists work with you to discuss personal challenges and devise a treatment plan via “talk therapy.” They are not able to prescribe medication. Psychiatrists and nurse practitioners are licensed medical providers who specialize in mental health treatment and provide personalized medication management. You may choose to do just therapy, just psychiatry, or both treatments with Talkspace.
Talkspace offers therapy and psychiatry services. Please see the Talkspace overview.
Additional questions and answers
In December 2020, Congress signed the Consolidated Appropriations Act (CAA) into law. One section of the new law, referred to as the No Surprises Act, contains new requirements for cost transparency and provides protections for consumers against surprise medical billing. The changes you will see in response to the No Surprises Act are:
- ID Cards will include benefit information for Office Visit Copays, Specialist Copays, Emergency Room Copays, Medical Deductibles Individual & Family and Maximum Out of Pocket Limits Individual & Family
- Surprise Billing – Plan participants are protected from surprise bills from emergency or non-emergency situations where the participant could not choose an in-network provider. Participants are only responsible for in-network cost-sharing amounts and out-of-network providers cannot balance bill members for any amount exceeding the in-network allowed charges.
- Price Comparison Tool – You will have access to an online tool to compare prices between providers and facilities when making decisions on services beginning January 1, 2023
- Continuity of Care – Insurance carriers will notify members when a provider or facility leaves the network and they will provide transitional coverage to ensure continuity of care for members
- Advanced Explanation of Benefits (this is not in place yet because final regulations are pending) – These Advanced EOB’s will require providers to provide a good faith estimate for the cost of services for plan participants, and send the estimate to the insurance company
- Independent Dispute Resolution – If a provider disputes the amount that the insurance carrier pays, there is now an Independent Review Process that can be started to coordinate negotiations between the provider and the insurance carrier. This is in place to eliminate Surprise bills for members
- Machine Readable Files – Beginning July 1, 2022 medical in-network provider negotiated rates and historical out-of-network allowed amounts must be posted and available online. These files must be updated monthly. Access these Machine Readable Files with this link and then select Aetna Signature Administrators.
- Pharmacy Benefit and Drug Cost Reporting (currently delayed until December 31, 2022 and pending further guidance) – Pharmacy Benefit Managers must provide reporting on drugs in a number of categories and includes cost and rebate information for that medication
Machine readable files related to the FAES Trustmark Insurance Plan are available online. Please open this link to the Healthcare Bluebook Home Page, and then select Aetna Signature Administrators.
If you didn’t find the answers to your questions here, please contact an FAES insurance representative:
Hours: 9:00 am - 4:00 pm, Monday - Friday
Phone: 301.496.8063
E-mail: FAESinsurance@mail.nih.gov
Secure Fax: 301.480.3585